CLIMATE DAMAGES TAX DECLARATION

Bonn, November 16, 2017: A climate damages tax on the fossil fuel industry is one way to reverse the injustice of climate change, and ensure the fossil fuel industry pays for its damage not poor people. The PIDF Secretary General was requested to be on a panel discussion at a side event on Attributing climate impact to major fossil fuel companies held at Meeting Room 12, Bonn Zone on Thursday November 16, 2017 where he supported the call for a Climate Damages Tax Declaration.

“We are a young multi-stakeholder organization that is two-years old. When created three months before COP21, the Pacific leaders on behalf of the people of the Pacific Islands signed the Suva Declaration for climate change,” said Secretary General, François Martel.

He elaborated that it was sending a strong signal to the world that the Pacific would have to take leadership in their plea for ambition and urgency in deep decarbonization by championing the 1.5 degree Celsius, a moratorium on new fossil fuel extraction, with emphasis on coal, and a call to reduce transport emissions, particularly maritime shipping and aviation.

“Many of the Pacific Leaders calls remain on the table today at the end of COP23, so my organization has the mandate to continue advocating for ambition and urgency in deep decarbonization and zero-emissions by 2050,” said the PIDF Secretary General.

“That’s why I fully support the Climate Damages Tax Declaration as a compensation mechanism for most vulnerable communities affected by climate impacts and disasters. It is in line with the clause of our proposed Pacific Climate Treaty,” he further added.

The Secretary General said that if the Pacific Islands are to survive, fossil fuels must be replaced with renewables and even if we did this tomorrow, the Pacific will still face extreme impacts from climate change

“The Pacific do not deserve to pay for this damage—the fossil fuel industry who have caused the problem should pay,”.

He concluded by highlighting that fossil fuels at scale currently planned, is not part of the planet’s future, if we still want to have one by the end of this century and supported the call for a Global Alliance to power past Coal.